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The province is drastically reducing what it spends on new firefighting equipment in this year’s budget, leaving towns waiting for new fire trucks scrambling to get to the front of the line.

Eastport is one of dozens of towns on the list. The town’s fire truck is almost 25 years old, and is nearing the end of its usefulness as a primary pumper.

For two years, the town has been on a waiting list for a new one — a list that's 60 trucks long.

"Government has got to take a look at where the fire trucks are going and really consider us in this area," Eastport Mayor Genevieve Squire told CBC News.

Last year — an election year — the province bought 22 new fire trucks.

This year, the number has been reduced to seven. And the budget for new equipment has been slashed in half.

"It's disappointing," Squire said. "We realize that there's only so much money to go around, but when you have so many volunteer firefighters all across this island — volunteering their time to try and make their communities safe — when we get cut like we had this year, it's very, very upsetting."